


31 Flavors

by Ninshadow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Dating, F/M, First Dates, Ice Cream, M/M, Speed Dating, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-02
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-20 10:07:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,287
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15531921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ninshadow/pseuds/Ninshadow
Summary: After the war Harry realised he'd missed out on a lot of things that every normal teenage wizard should experience. He'd decided he was going to spend time to catch up on everything he could think of. His main goal, was dating;Now that The Dark Lord has fallen… Harry wants to fall.. In love. Harry has lined up 31 dates, and can't help but compare them to ice cream flavors. 31 dates, all with different people. Harry wasn't going to discriminate by age or gender, he wanted to try all the flavors. The Chosen One now has to choose, who will win the Golden Boy’s heart of gold?





	1. Mango Tango

**Author's Note:**

> This is a writing challenge from the group: The Library (Dumbledore's Army)
> 
> The writing challenge is for all of August, each day there is a new quote to use for the prompt, and you have to use that quote in your fic!
> 
> This is just the little spin on it that I'm doing! Each chapter Harry will go on a date with someone different! He compares every person to an ice cream flavor!
> 
> The first quote that must be used is:  
> "Do you trust me?"

August 1st:

Harry was getting ready for his first date since the war. All he'd done since Voldemort had fallen is eat ice cream and mope. Owl delivery was a wonderful thing. He didn't even have to leave the house when he ran out of delicious flavor! No one was there to harass him in his own house, well unless you counted Kreacher, his bitter house elf.

After a lot of hounding from Hermione and Ron (mostly Hermione), Harry realised that while he was growing up, he missed out on a lot of things that normal children got to do. The most important, according to Ron, was dating. So here Harry sat, determined to go on as many dates as he could, before he ended up missing out on life. As he stood there, in front of his floor length mirror, Harry couldn't help but wonder why he was going out, when he could be eating ice cream out of the tub, from none other than Fortescues itself?

After way longer than he cared to admit, Harry was ready. He ended up in a band tshirt with tight jeans, and a pair of comfortable trainers. He turned on the spot and apparated, ready to get date 1 over with. Arriving at the Burrow, Harry only got a few steps towards the rustic house, when the door opened, revealing Ginny, who looked beautiful in a white summer dress with a floral pattern of orange flowers.

She was clutching an orange handbag nervously, as she watched him approach. Harry offered Ginny a lopsided grin, and held out his hand.  
“Do you trust me?” Harry asked, hoping he knew the answer.

After a brief hesitation, Ginny grabbed his hand, nodding her approval. Harry spun the both of them, and they apparated, disappearing from the Burrow. When they landed, Harry stumbled slightly, trying to remain upright. As he clutched to Ginny and helped himself up, Ginny let out a laugh, making any nervousness from earlier forgotten.

“Savior of the wizarding world defeated by traveling! You'd think after all you've been through you'd be able to remain on two feet!” Ginny was now grinning widely at Harry, who was glaring in return.

Harry chose instead to ignore her, once again wondering why he even left Grimmauld for this.  
“Come on, we're going in here.” Harry said, leading the way into a muggle restaurant.

“Why are we eating in a muggle place? Do you not want to be seen out with me?” Ginny asked, as she looked around in interest.

Harry flinched, no, that's not what he was thinking, but then again if he were going to date someone new everyday, then maybe that wouldn't be a bad idea.  
“It's not that..” Harry started, “Just you know, no one will recognise me here.”

Ginny nodded at that, and smiled brightly at the waitress that handed them menus.

Dinner went by decently, no big mishaps and they had alright conversation. Harry was still a bit disappointed that he left the house, until the desert menu came around. Harry perked up instantly when he noticed how big their ice cream selection was. He saw a flavor that was calling out to him, he looked at Ginny and grinned. Taking her menu, Harry ordered for the both of them.

Ginny went to object, but Harry set his hand on hers, making any words she was about to say vanish.

“You said you trusted me, Ginny. This flavor suits you, I promise.” Harry gave her a reassuring smile as they waited for their dessert.

Finally, their ice cream was served. Harry got himself plain vanilla, which was his favorite. Ginny eyed hers, it was something orange called ‘mango tango’, it was orange and fiery and it just screamed Ginny.

After a tentative bite, Ginny moaned in delight. “Oh Harry, this tastes amazing!”

“I knew you'd like it.” Harry said smugly.  
This, this is what he was good at. Ice cream. If he could just imagine every one of his dates as flavors of ice cream, then this just might be fun. How many flavors would he have to try until he tasted one he couldn't resist?

Harry dropped Ginny off at home, then headed back to grimmauld, thoroughly exhausted. Only 30 more flavors to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the first chapter! Only 30 more dates/ flavors to get through!!
> 
> Wonder who Harry will pick to be with?


	2. Orange Sherbet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of the 31 quotes challenge!
> 
> Today's quote was: "Is that my shirt?"

August 2nd;

For Harry's second date, he had gotten Ron to agree to go out with him. After a lot of bickering, they agreed to meet up at a muggle bowling alley. Harry knew that he was bi, but Ron had no clue. He had admitted to checking out their teammates in the locker room, and Harry was all too happy to let him explore his curiosity.

It took him much quicker to get ready for this date, Harry knew that Ron wouldn't care what he wore. So, he went for comfort. After double checking that he didn't need to bring anything else, Harry grabbed his wallet where he kept his muggle money and apparated into a nearby alley, adjacent to the place they were meeting. The place seemed fairly empty, which was great for Harry, he didn't like to be in too crowded of places.

Harry had found a seat to wait and was already eating an order of fries when Ron finally showed up.

“Sorry.” Ron muttered, “I wasn't sure what to wear..”

As he said that, Ron sat across from Harry, eating some of his fries.  
Harry watched Ron in amusement, taking in his outfit. He was wearing loose fitting jeans with his normal trainers, and the coat he always seemed to have around. His shirt though, Harry was certain he'd seen that before, too.

“Ron.. Is that my shirt?” Harry asked as Ron looked down at the shirt in question.

“Yeah, I guess it is. Sorry mate, guess I wasn't paying attention.” Ron then rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

Harry took pity on the poor bloke, with some prompting, Harry took Ron's hand and lead him to a bowling lane. After they changed into their rented bowling shoes, they started up a game.

Ron was very bad at bowling. His temper was getting the worst of him, and it definitely showed.

“Ron, calm down. I'll show you how to throw the ball, yeah?” Harry asked, giving Ron a small smile. After Ron nodded at Harry, Harry walked up behind Ron, sliding his arms around his waist.

“Harry? What are you doing?” Ron asked, jumping slightly when Harry placed a hand on top of his own.

“Relax, Ron, just showing you how to hold the ball, this is the best way.” Harry said, smirking at how uncomfortable Ron was.  
He then leaned into Ron, and sniffed lightly at his neck.  
“Do I smell… Oranges?”

“Well yes, I wanted to smell nice on my date, you know..” Ron said defensively, allowing Harry to guide his hand and throw the ball down the lane. He got a strike, and blushed at the happy smile Harry gave him.

“Well done Ron, really. I knew you could do it! Also, if you need help relaxing.. when I go on dates, I try to think of the people as ice cream flavors. Don't laugh, it works! Like you, you'd be Orange Sherbet.” Harry shrugged at the look Ron was giving him.  
“Well.. Wanna go get ice cream?”

Ron perked up at the thought of food, “Yes! That sounds great, mate, best date ever.”

They went to the food court in the bowling alley, and each ordered some ice cream. Ron even went with the orange sherbet and loved it.

Harry then took Ron back to the burrow, giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek as they said goodbye to one another.

After Harry finally made it back to Grimmauld Place, he had a smile on his face.  
That wasn't so bad, he was actually pretty excited to try the other 29 flavors that were left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought!


	3. Old Fashioned Butter Pecan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 of the quotes challenge!
> 
> This days quote was: "Why am I not surprised it's you?"
> 
> Pairing: Harry/Draco!

August 3rd;

Harry was quite excited for his third date. He had sent an anonymous letter to none other than Draco Malfoy, letting him think that he had a secret admirer. Harry figured that Draco wouldn't want to meet with him, so he figured the best option was to make Draco think that someone had a crush on him, since he'd at least show up out of curiosity.

He thought he had a good date planned. Hopefully. That is, if he could get the blonde to agree to stay. Harry waited at the spot he told Draco to meet him at, and double checked that he had everything he needed. After only a few minutes of nervous fiddling, Harry felt a rush of magic around him.

“Why am I not surprised it's you?” Draco asked, pinning Harry with a piercing glare.

Harry shrugged, trying not to squirm under Draco's intense stare.  
“Well, the letter was technically correct.. I just figured you wouldn't come if you knew it was me.”

“You have a crush on me, Potter?” Draco asked, raising a brow in amusement.

“I might.”

“And you'd like to go on a date, right now?”

“Got any other important dates to attend, Draco?”

“Yes, actually. But this is intriguing, so I'll go. But, you'd better make it worth my while, Potter.”

Harry nodded, standing up and holding out his hand. Draco looked down at the offered hand momentarily before gingerly reaching out and taking Harry's hand. This reminded Harry of first year all over again, he just hoped that this would be enough to stop any animosity left between the two of them. Harry twisted on the spot, feeling the familiar pull around his naval.

They landed much too quickly for Harry's liking, he stumbled slightly, trying to stay upright. After he straightened himself out, he turned to Draco with an embarrassed smile.  
“Well, we're here.. Just.. Let me set up.”

Draco looked around slowly while Harry started unshrinking things from his pockets and quickly set up a cute picnic.

“What is this, Potter?” Draco asked, sounding both exasperated and amused.

“A picnic, Draco. Also, call me Harry.” Harry said, waving his hand in dismissal.

“Yes, well… At least the views nice… Harry.” Draco said at last, sitting across from Harry on the blanket that had been set up.

Harry looked around with an amused smile. They were on a small hill in Paris, with full view of the Eiffel Tower. Nice, was an understatement.  
“The food is good too, you know.”

“That's yet to be determined, Harry.” Draco replied, sending Harry a smirk.

Harry got out two plates, and started plating their food for them. He had made all the dishes by hand, and he was fairly confident that Draco would like them.  
Harry served them both a helping of Confit de canard, with sides of Butternut Squash Boulangère, Salade Niçoise, a roll of French bread and a nice glass of Chapoutier Ermitage de l'Oree each.*

Draco eyed his plate with interest, while sniffing delicately at his wine.  
“You really thought this out, didn't you, Harry?” He asked, giving Harry a thoughtful look as he finally took a sip of the white wine.

“Not really, I mean, yeah… I was hoping you'd join me, anyways.” Harry replied, smiling sheepishly.

“Well, Harry.” Draco purred, leaning towards Harry. “Whatever will you do with me?”

Harry gulped, quickly shoving Draco's food into his hands.  
“Eat? While enjoying this ‘nice’ view?”

“Well yes, I'm really enjoying the.. View.” Draco stated, licking his lips as he watched Harry.

Harry quickly strayed to a different topic, asking Draco what he's done after the war. They got to talking about Harry's hobbies, both of them surprised that Harry had so little. The rest of the meal went by quickly, so then Harry decided to bring out desert.Two little bowls of ice cream, causing Draco to laugh.

“After that extravagant meal, ice cream is our final course?” Draco asked, poking his with his spoon.

“Yes. It's old fashioned butter pecan, you'll love it.” Harry made it a point of slowly licking his off of his spoon, smiling shyly as Draco watched every movement his tongue made.

“I haven't even tasted it yet, and it's already my favorite ice cream.” Draco reached out, grabbing Harry's hand, bringing his spoon to his mouth. Draco licked Harry's spoon the same way Harry had, but Harry was sure that he hadn't looked that seductive!  
“Mmm, delicious.” Draco said softly, licking up every. Last. Drop.

Yes, Harry thought, this flavor fit Draco perfectly. After much more flirting, mostly on Draco's part, they were finally ready to call it a night.

“Well, it was fun, Harry. Do write if you ever want to go out again. Thank you, for this, by the way. It's been interesting.” With that, Draco turned on the spot, disappearing, probably to Malfoy Manor.

Harry packed up slowly, hoping that every date wouldn't be that intense. Sure he had fun, but it just made it harder to pick which flavor was his favorite. Harry apparated back to grimmauld with a sigh, 28 flavors to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * Confit de canard; is a French dish made with the whole duck.
> 
> Butternut Squash Boulangère; Braised squash with bacon and onions is an easy crowd-pleaser with loads of deep, caramelized flavors.
> 
> Salade Niçoise; is a salad that originated in the French city of Nice. It is traditionally made of tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, Niçoise olives, anchovies, and dressed with olive oil.
> 
> Chapoutier Ermitage de l'Oree;  
> Colour: intense golden yellow, with hints of green and gold.   
> Nose: very intense, hot shingles, toffee, very ripe, fruity lemon with floral overtones of acacia and hawthorn.   
> Mouth: well-rounded start, full bodied, very complex with overtones of ripe fruits, spices and roasting.*
> 
>  
> 
> Hopefully it's decent?? Please comment!


	4. Nutty Coconut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 of the quote challenge!
> 
> Today's quote: "You weren't supposed to laugh."
> 
> Pairing: Harry/Luna

August 4th:

Harry couldn't help but grin as he put on his outfit for his fourth date. He wore a pair of plain tan dress slacks with a light blue button up shirt. He adorned his neck with a brightly colored bow tie, orange with white spots all over it. He then went with his normal trainers, opting for comfort. The only other thing to complete his look was his trademark glasses, which honestly, he couldn't live without. He picked up his small brown briefcase, and decided he was ready.

As he apparated to the meeting spot, Harry couldn't help but feel optimistic about his date. As soon as he landed, he stumbled slightly, only remaining upright by the fact that Luna was right next to him, holding him steady.

“Alright there, Harry?” Luna asked him, as she took a step back. “Oh! I love your outfit, Harry! I hope I'm not under dressed!”

Harry looked Luna up and down. She was wearing a pale pink dress with bright sparkles all the way down it, there was a headband on the top of her beautiful golden curls that looked like it might have been made out of a watermelon rind. She was wearing her usual butterbeer cork necklace, and of course she had on her signature radish earrings. Her shoes seemed the only normal thing on her person, a pair of simple pink and white high top converse.

“No, Luna. I think you'll fit in perfectly.” Harry said with a grin. He held out an arm, which Luna instantly wound her arm around, and together they walked into the backdoor of a tall black building.  
“Can I tell you a secret, Luna?” Harry asked, whispering conspiringly to her as if afraid of being overheard.

“Harry, you know you could tell me anything. Oh! Will I be needing my spectrespecs for our date?” Luna replied, digging through the small clutch she was holding.

“Actually, I just wanted to warn you… I'm a magician.” Harry told her, sounding serious.

Luna’s laugh echoed around the empty hallway as they walked, “Oh, Harry, I think it's a little late to warn me! We went to Hogwarts together, silly! Of course I know that you're a wizard!”  
Luna then stopped walking as she saw the open look on Harry's face. She put her hand up, placing it gently on his cheek. “You are a great wizard, Harry. Of course I accept you.”

Harry looked away, blushing slightly.  
“You weren't supposed to laugh.” He said with a small sigh. “I know you know I'm a wizard, but I meant.. I'm a magician. Just, nevermind, you'll see.”  
With that, Harry pushed open the doors they were standing in front of, and put on a cheerful smile as he turned to face what sounded like an auditorium full of screaming children.

Luna looked around in awe as Harry's voice magnified over the whole room, “Hello, everyone! Look, I brought an assistant with me today!”

A lot of the kids started clapping, and Luna noticed there were many children in wheelchairs, or who had had amputations of some sort. A few of the kids ran up to Luna, walking around her as they all commented on her clothes, asking her questions and such. Luna realised that they were all sickly kids, she wasn't sure what Harry did here, though.

Harry smiled, a most sincere and happy smile, it was beautiful. He pulled out his wand, causing Luna’s eyes to widen as she realised he was about to do magic in front of muggles!  
“Harry!” Luna started, but it was too late.

“EXPECTO PATRONUM!” Harry yelled, pointing his wand forward, smiling hugely as a silver stag burst out of the end of his wand, illuminating everyone in a silver glow.

It truly was magical. The kids all cheered, all with looks of amazement on their faces. Harry motioned for Luna to do her patronus also, which she obliged. As her hare emerged from her wand, the kids cheered again, reaching out their little hands to try and pet the evasive little thing.

Harry and Luna did a few more tricks, levitating stuff around, conjuring flowers, even a lumos maximus to light up the whole room. They were having a lot of fun showing off their magic without anyone getting suspicious. After Harry decided the show was over, he transformed a few tables with benches along them, and summoned everyone ice cream.

Luna smiled at Harry, genuinely content.  
“You're really sweet, Harry Potter.”

Harry ruffled his hair in embarrassment as he gave Luna a sheepish smile, “In the muggle world, I can be anyone. It's nice to be able to make these kids smile, even if for a little while.”

Luna took a bite of her ice cream, making a pleased noise, “Oh! Nutty Coconut! How'd you know it was my favorite?”

“Magic.” Harry replied with a grin.

“So, how often do you come here, magician Potter?” Luna asked, barely pausing through mouthfuls of the nutty coconut goodness. 

“About twice a month, really. It's nice to get to be appreciated, you know? None of these kids know me, they just know who I want them to know… they're all orphans, from the hospital. Their caretaker loves to take them on little adventures, so they aren't cooped up all the time.” Harry rambled, slowly coming to a stop.

“Well, this is the real you, you know? The kind, generous person who actually likes helping people. You've even managed to get rid of all your wrackspurts!” Luna exclaimed, looking at him through her brightly colored spectrespecs. 

Harry laughed then, a loud pleasant sound, Luna hadn't heard him laugh like that since before the final battle.  
“That ice cream fits you perfectly, Luna. You're great, really. Thanks for coming with me, it's been nice sharing this with someone.”

Luna smiled then, taking his hand. Let's get you home, I'm sure you'll want to be well rested for your next date, you're going to be walking quite a bit!”

Harry didn't ask how Luna knew about his other dates, or what he'd be doing. Instead, he nodded and with a last farewell to the children, he lit one of George's fireworks and apparated them outside of Grimmauld place. Luna leaned in, on her tippy toes, and kissed Harry on the cheek gently.  
“Don't worry about your outfit tomorrow, Harry. You'll be fine. Only 27 dates to go!”  
With that, Luna skipped down the street, humming a tune that only she understood.

Harry shook his head in amusement as he headed into his house, wondering just how his next date would turn out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this is an okay chapter??


End file.
